Apparatus for measuring the relative hardness of match-tips.



c. A. PIPER. APPARATUS FOR MEASURING THE RELATIVE HARDNESS 0F MATCH TIPS.

Patented Feb. 4,1919.

2 SHEETSSI EEI l.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 20, I917.

run ms mm m HIS mum ml-cm. n. g

C. A. PIPER.

APPARATUS FOE musunmc "ms RELATWE ummzss 0F MATCH ms.

' APPLICATION man APR. 20', 191i. g gggg ig Patented Feb. 4, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PA oEEicE.

CHARLES A. PIPER, 0F EAST'WILMINGTON, CALIFORNIA, ASSIG-NOR TO THE DIAMONI) MATCH COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

APPARATUS Eon MEASURING THE To /1Z1 whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES A. PEER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of East Wilmington, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Measuring the Relative Hardness of Match-Tips, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is toprovide an apparatus for measuring the relative hardness of match tips, particularly, though not exclusively, the tips of strike-any where matches.

According to the principle of my invention the tips of a given quantity of specimen matches are individually subjected to the impact of a movable cutter the effective force of which bears a predetermined relaion to the standard hardness of the tip composition, so that by calculatingthe percent: age of matches whereof the tips are severed by the cutter and comparing the result with a w a prescribed scale of hardness values, the

relative hardness determined. 7

In the preferred form of embodiment of of the composition can be my lnvention herein illustrated, a-suitable support for a specimen match isprovided; a tip cutter is borne by a vibratory lever in operative relation to the support so as to be movable upon and from the tip of the supported match, and appropriate cam mechanism is employed whereby such lever with the-cutter is periodically raised and then permitted to descend; the lever being equipped with a gage for determining the position of the tip in relation to the cutter and with an adjustable load whereby the force of the cutter upon the tip can be nicely predetermined. 1

he invention alsocomprises various features of construction and combinations of parts, all of which will be hereinafter described and claimed. I

' In the drawings- Figure 1 1s a sideelevation of a form of apparatus embodying the principle of my invention; the parts being illustrated in the relative ositions which they occupy'when the mate tip is severed.

. Fig. 2 is a plan of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sect1on, enlarged, as on the line 3-3 ofFig. 2, show- Specification of Letters Patent.

RELATIVE HARnNEss oE Maren-curs.

Patented Feb.4,19il9.

A pplication filed April 20, 1917. Serial No. 163,345.

positioned upon the match mechanism and men match about to be applied thereto.

Fig. 5 is a face view of a gage device for determlning the position of the match tip in respect to the cutter.

Referring to the drawings, 10 a supporting structure of suitable shape and size for its intended purpose. In the present instance the top of this structure comprises a horizontal bed 11 upon which is formed or secured, adjacent one side and end of the structure, an anvil 12 in and transversely of the upper surface of which is provided a groove of appropriate form to receive and support the stick of a specimen match. Preferablythegroove is V-shaped in cross-section with a roughened or filelike gripping surface, such groove being conveniently formed, as at 13, in a separate plate 14:, which is let into a recess in the anvil and is therein detachably held by screws 15. Pivoted in suitably-disposed upstanding lugs 16 on theanvil is a clamping arm 17 the free end'of which overhangs the grooved plate. This arm is maintained in yielding contact with .the positioned match in the groove 13 by the force of a spring 18 that is secured to the free end of the arm and to an adjustable screw 19 in a bracket 20 depending from the underside of the bed. The latter is appropriately perforated for the passage of the spring. By properly manipulating the thumb nut 21 on the screw the tension of the spring may be readily ad justed, in order that the arm shall exert more or less pressure on the match stick, as desired. The clamping arm is provided with a lateral projection 22 (preferably constituted by a piece secured to an upstanding part of the arm) which overhangs an adjacent lever 23 extending longitudinally of the bed. One end of thls lever is pivoted to a lug 24 on the bed, and the other end bears anadjustable load comprising, in the present instance, a slotted weight 25 which may be adjusted longitudinally of the arm, the weight being provided with a set-screw 26 whereby it can be secured in any desired position of adjustment. The lever overhangs and normally rests, by gravity,

designates adjuncts, showlng a speciupon an appropriate cam -=when the match .is applied to the MZGID-POSIUOD Z hardness the flutter slices in defined portion 1 therefrom. -supp0rts Athe -Weight-of the loadedcutter leverf/for a.- pejriochof approximately two v:seconds.z-or:the cutterse'vers the tip com- 27 fasten alsha ft 28 extending transversely of, and having itsbearings in brackets 29, on the bed. The shaft 28 bears a Worm Wheel-30 With which meshes a Worm 31 on a shaft32 having-its bearings in boxes on a gear case38 supported. on thebed; thelatter shaft being secured to and constituting, in

efiect, a continuation of ,the shatt st. of an electric motor'3'5 Which is mounted on the bed. When the motor 1s-;.energ1ced,rthe motion is transmitted therefrom through the surfaces-bout .003. in width. This bladeis.

prefer-ablynliet into .a lateral recess :in the lever .and detach ably-aheld [by screws 37, .so that the cutter can be readily removedsand replacedas need may require.

. A "suitably' disposed 1 gage is provided to determine the position of the match tip in respecti-to the cutter and, therefore, the pre- GlS6 Cl6pth'-a1id amount of composition to be severed. 'Imthe present instance the: gage-is nonstituted by the depending ortion; 38 of agmember 39 which is fastened ;to' the outer side ,of' "the? lever, preferably by the same -SOI'QW'S thQt SBGllIB the cutter in place. The depending portion 38 of the gage member is iprogvi tied with a sh0ulder40 which takesun- C1er 5the lOWe1 edge'of the-'lever-and contacts qvith the-side of the cutter, eXceptinga-tits median -part adjacent the plane of the snatch-tip. Such part-has: formed therein a concave recess tlmhich merges- :wi'th: the .upper 'end of; a downwardly and out-W ardly inclined orifice eQ. in the depending portion :38 and also communicates with a vertical channel AB .in the inner side of :Ethe latter. Thewb ack wall of this; channel is a p-red-etermined; distance ain rear of the cuttenso-asto J serve as-a positive stop for =the -match tip rooved plate asabove mentioned. At this stage-the weighted 'lever is in raised position; through 'ath naotioli =ofjithe rotating cam-thereon,- as .inclicated h gdotted lines in Fig. fl but as the continues :its movement --it permits -the gradual. descent. of} the lever by gravity. (in such descent of the lever the edge ofjthe -eutte1 i imp ngesagainst thetip -vvi-th-pre- 'gdeternnned -force, and .in the; event f 1: .1

being :below a-certainfdegreeof fd rothemwords; the tip either andthe yieldingly held arniislifted from the match *bythe impingement of the .levenon thelat Brill. prqj ection, 22, of..the arm.

"The operator 'then'r'emoves the match from the ,groov ed plate 14:, and disposes another match thereon for a repetition Of" tl16 operration, n d .-so.;cnuntil a given quantlty of specimen matches has been tested. By calculating the percentage 1.:Ofilbl19'n1hl31lfbll8 whereot the tipsi arersevered andicemparmg the result-(with; arprescribed scale ofzihardness values the relative bardnesslof the-composition. tips risidetermined.

1 it. is .to be :understoodrthatr lIf2ClQ:'110l'J slimlt myselfi i to the speeificdetails ,of. constrnctlon llQll'BllliShOWll andldescribed,.-.as the-same may be modified Without .edeparting *frrom filth-. principle of. the. invention as; defined dn'ithe appended claims.

iqlaclaim-f :1. An rapparatusaof :zthe ich.arncter described, comprising a movable cutter,- ,1airertiCally-movableactuating-elementitlterefor, means .Pfor periodically}. actuating; saidiele ment, and-.emeansefor. supportingia speclmen scribed,rcomprisingtamovable:cutter arazertically-movable actuating elementztherefor, means don periodically actuating rsaidgiele 1nent,;and means eforisupportingi aespeeimen gmatchiwith its'lrtip enteiidingz.:into: the :path of the .cutter saidclatterrmeans including clampmember, a a spring rnormally holding said=memberiin "clamping positionhmeans for adjusting ithe tension. ofnsaid. spring, a and operative connection ibetween said ,r-zclamp memberand theractuating elementemhencby said member iis .moved. ito release sthe match When-saidielement is raised.

8. A.n apparatus. of -.ithe-cha racter cidesoribed -comprisingacutter a lever-supporting the same,- an adju-stablerload onnsaid lever, means for periodicallynctuatingusaid lever, and means :vfor holding a ispecimen matehwvith its tip-extefrdingdnto 'the path oi? the cutter. A

4:. An apparatus of themharacter idescribed, comprising a cutter,aadevierzsupporting-the same,;-an adjustable load onst-heilever, a rotary --cam foractuating. the zlever; rmeans foroperatingth e cam, and means'ifomholdlever, means for periodically actuating said lever, means for supporting a specimen match with its tip extending into the path of the cutter, said latter means including a movable clamp having operative connection with the lever whereby the clamp is moved to release the match when the lever is raised.

6. An apparatus of the character described, comprising a cutter, a lever supportingthe same, an adjustable load on said lever, a rotary cam upon which the lever normally rests, means for operating the cam, and means for supporting a specimen match with its tip extending into the path of the cutter said latter means including a movable clamp having operative connection with the lever whereby the clamp is moved to release the match when the lever is raised.

7. An apparatus of the character described, comprising a cutter, a lever supporting the same, an adjustable load on said lever, means for periodically actuating said lever, a gage member on said lever adjacent the cutter, and means for supporting a specimen match with its tip against said gage.

8. An apparatus of the character described, comprising a cutter, a lever supporting the same, an adjustable load on said lever, a rotary cam upon which the lever normally rests, means for operating the cam, a gage member adjacent the path of thecutter, means for supporting a specimen match with its tip against said gage, said latter means including a movable clamp havin operative connection with the lever whereby the clamp is moved to release the match when the lever is raised.

Signed at East Wilmington, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, this 13th day of April A. D. 1917.

' CHARLES A. PIPER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G. 

